Breaking Down the “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” Trailer

The San Diego Comic-Con became our gateway to the Wizarding World this weekend, when Warner Bros.’ Hall H presentation showcased new trailer for “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald”. See the trailer below:

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald Trailer

Potterheads were quick to dissect the trailer, which is teeming with references to the earlier Harry Potter books. Here’s a breakdown of what of what we have gathered from the trailer so far:

Is Dumbledore teaching “Defence Against the Dark Arts”?

The trailer brings us back to Hogwarts where we see Jude Law’s Dumbledore teaching a class, which includes a young Newt Scamander, how to counter Boggarts with the Ridikkulus charm. We first encountered Boggarts in “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban”, where Remus Lupin, having taken the “Defence Against the Dark Arts” post, teaches Harry’s class to face their greatest fears.

This scene is interesting because we know from the books that Albus Dumbledore used to be a Transfiguration teacher, but not “Defence Against the Dark Arts”. Not to mention that Pottermore does not include Professor Dumbledor in its ranking of “Defence Against the Dark Arts” teachers. Maybe Dumbledore is just subbing in?

Newt’s biggest fear

When Newt faced the Boggart, it turned into a desk table with lots of paperwork on it. It turns out that Newt Scamander’s biggest fear is – working in an office! No wonder he grew up living a life of adventure! To be honest though, an office job does seem to be dreadful for a lot of people – Muggles included.

Credence meets “the Maledictus”

Credence (Ezra Miller) appears to have found a new buddy in “the Maledictus” (Claudia Kim) – a term which refers to a person who is carrying a blood curse. It’s still hard to gauge what kind of relationship they have but with Credence being an Obscurial, he may have finally found someone who can relate to him being an outcast. In the trailer we see Credence looking through some posters together with shots of the Arcanus circus. Maybe this is the place where the two meet, considering that the Maledictus is one of the Circus’ attractions.

Grindelwald is locked up (and breaks out!)

At the end of the first film we see Percival Graves (Colin Farrell) unmasked as Gellert Grindelwald. He is then presumably taken to MACUSA (Magical Congress of the United States of America) prison. In this trailer, we see officers taking a defeated Grindelwald through a cellblock, although we all know that he doesn’t stay locked up for long. Later on we see Grindelwald bursting out of a building aboard a carriage drawn by thestrals. Could this be the scene where Grindelwald escapes MACUSA?

Grindelwald gathers followers

We see Grindelwad giving a speech to a large audience about what how wizards and witches have to “sulk in the shadows” and that the old ways “serve us no longer”. He may be calling to end the “International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy”, which he isn’t a huge fan of. I wouldn’t be surprised if his audience in this scene turns out to be the first generation of Death Eaters.

Grindelwald has a vision of Credence.

We hear Dumbledore talk about rumors of Grindelwald having visions of him rising to dominance over the Wizarding World. This coincides with a scene where Grindelwald looks at a floating image of Credence. Could Credence have something to do with his plans – much like how Voldemort is motivated by a prophecy of Harry Potter?

Credence has taken control of his powers

Credence is still sulky like he was in the first film, but he is also noticeably more in tune with his powers. Is that his Obscurus hovering over London like a dark, silky cloud? Credence’s powers have proven to be a force to reckoned with, and now that he appears to have taken control of it, whose side will he take?

A closer look at Leta Lestrange

It may be recalled that Queenie, Tina’s sister who is also a Legilimens, meaning a person who can read minds, has mentioned Leta Lestrange in the first film. Here we get the impression that Leta is Newt’s love interest. Leta and Newt may have developed a close relationship when they were still students in Hogwarts. Remember how Newt got expelled from Hogwarts because he endangered a student’s life? It turns out the Newt only took the blame for Leta’s failed experiment getting him thrown out of Hogwarts instead of her.

The Elder Wand!

We already have an idea that Grindelwald may have the Elder Wand, and now this trailer finally confirms it! But we also know that this doesn’t last for long because Dumbledore eventually becomes the Wand’s master. Knowing that the Elder Wand changes its allegiance, we wonder what caused it to turn from Grindelwald to Dumbledore.

Old and new fantastic Beasts!

There is no shortage of fantastic beasts in this sequel. We see cat-like beasts with blue alien eyes, a Kelpie, a bird-like animal, and the Oni, which appears to have escaped the Arcanus circus! Note: “Oni” is also a supernatural Japanese monster that looks like a troll or an ogre. This may be the reason why the Oni in this trailer has features resembling the Japanese monster.

Dumbledore sees Grindelwald in the Mirror of Erised

When Harry asked him what he sees in the Mirror of Erised, Dumbledore simply replied “thick woolen socks”. In this trailer though, we see that at some point, it was Grindelwald that Dumbledore sees when he looks at the Mirror. Given that the mirror shows “not your face but your heart’s desire”, the fact that Dumbledore sees Grindelwald’s image in the mirror may drop some clues to their true relationship. Maybe this is also the reason why Dumbledore says that he can’t move against Grindelwald, and entrusts the task to Newt Scamander instead.

And finally, Nicolas Flamel!

We get a surprising treat at the end of the trailer. Nicolas Flamel (Brontis Jodorowsky), the famous alchemist who created the Philosopher Stone, makes an appearance! This is a magical moment for longtime Potterheads since it brings us all the way back the first ever Harry Potter book. In the trailer, Flamel casually mentioned that he is immortal, although the years have apparently been unkind to him. Also, looks like I have been pronouncing his name wrong all along! It’s “ni-koh-la”, not “ni-ko-las”. I’d like to hear Hermione correct me with that one.

What do you think of the trailer? Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments below!